


Lay Down Your Sweet and Weary Head

by EmilliaGryphon



Series: Guardians of the Galaxy One Shots [1]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 10:02:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11552856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilliaGryphon/pseuds/EmilliaGryphon
Summary: "Lay down your sweet and weary head, night has fallen, you have come to journeys end. Sleep now...why do you weep? What are these tears upon your face? Soon you will see, all of your fears will pass away and you'll be safe in my arms."-Into the West, Lord of the Rings the Return of the KingGroot couldn't be happier, he is fully regrown, he has his family and they go on adventures, but memories from Halfworld still haunt him and his best pal Rocket. One night Rocket's nightmares are worse than usual.





	Lay Down Your Sweet and Weary Head

When Flora colossus sleep, it is deep unfettered slumber. The old generally sleep more than the young, and the young sleep quite a bit. Carefully choosing a place to root down they ground themselves deep in the rich soil. Connected to each other via complex root systems they dream and their dreams sustain the great World-Pod, the source of life for all flora and fauna on Planet X. Groot remembered this sleep fondly, and felt upon him great responsibility now that he was the last Groot and the World-Pod rested inside of him. He had rescued it moments before Thanos destroyed Planet X and all the other Groots. As long as that was safe inside him, there was hope that one day he could plant the pod on some bare asteroid and renew Planet X. He had kept the pod safe through it all, even his regeneration. Of course, Groot had had to adapt when he was abducted for scientific experimentation and brought to Halfworld. He hardly slept during those years and was sure the World-Pod would shrivel and die. But it hadn’t, he had been able to sleep and dream in short spurts when he was not being carved into or dismembered. When the human scientists let him go and moved on to experiment on the raccoon creature in the next cell over. When Rocket was tortured, he slept. He had to even though the creatures yowls and shrieks could be heard all the way from the lab. Groot felt bad about this, but Rocket had later shrugged. That was in the past. 

They were free now, they had been free for some time and they now had a whole new family! Drax, Gamora and Peter Quill! Groot had fully regrown and he had never been happier. He could sleep soundly now, even though there was no soil put his roots in. He adapted. He was good at adapting to situations. But even though he was happy and safe, the residue of Halfworld still lingered on him as much as it lingered on Rocket. Groot was better at coping with it. In his youth, he was instructed by his elders how important it was to keep hope, to be kind, to not let the world of machines and humans taint your spirit and your heart. That lesson was hard-learned and there were many times in his cell he had become angry. He had taken out the scientists, killed them, when he and Rocket escaped and when visions of Halfworld crept into his dreams he acknowledged them and then reminded himself of something else that was happy. It sounded easier than it was. The secret to this was in the fact that Groot was not afraid to show and express his emotions, even when those feelings were of fear. Rocket was different. 

Rocket never showed weakness. To do so would betray all he had made of himself since they left. Groot knew this and made it a point to tell Rocket on more than one occasion that it was okay to be scared, it was okay to ask for help, to need a hug, to feel. Rocket always replied with some snarky comment about Groot being a sap but Groot always let it roll of his shoulders. He knew that Rocket wasn’t all rage and sarcasm. He knew the real Rocket and the real Rocket was vulnerable. Groot was dreaming, sustaining the World-Pod when he awoke to the familiar sound of his friend. 

“N…no, don’t! I’ll rip to shreds! Please don’t!” Groot awakened to see his furry friend across their shared room, having a nightmare in a box filled with artillery and machine parts. Rocket scratched at the air, his body curling and stretching, ears flat against his head. 

“I am Groot,” he said soothingly, reaching out to gently touch the raccoon’s shoulder. 

“Don’t take me apart again! I’ll murder all of you…” Rocket ended this expletive in a string of clever profanity. He was alternating between rage and fear. Not good. Most of the times a gently touch on the shoulder was all he needed to wake Rocket. A gentle word here or there like Rocket had done for him when he was small and all his memories of Halfworld had been coming back. But this time it didn’t work. Before Groot could think of something else, Rocket leapt up. Running on all fours and hissing manically. “Pl…please don’t!” Rocket sweat, Groot watched his friend’s sides heave in and out with rapid breaths. 

“I am Groot!” Groot tried to reassure him. Rocket only gasped as he pulled himself up on two legs once more, unfocused eyes glossy and terrified. He watched as his friend began to claw at his own implants. The ones in his shoulder that were easily accessible. Groot reached out in panic grasping Rocket’s shoulders, his wooden fingers slick with sweat. 

“No..don’t hurt me!” Rocket begged making to swipe at him with sharp claws. Groot remained calm. Rocket squirmed, shaking his head. Then looked up at him, eyes wide in a moment of clarity from his nightmare. In a voice, more desperate then Groot had ever heard from him Rocket looked up at him:

“H..help me…” he begged. Groot’s heart wrenched with hurt for his friend. What could he do? Maybe…just maybe he could…but he’d never done it before. Never let anyone, not even his dearest friend that close to him. But one look at Rocket who had now fallen to the ground, shivering and whimpering, begging not to be hurt and he knew. Gently taking a breath, Groot sprouted small blue flowers from his shoulders, calming and smelling of sweet dew. He then gently opened the creaking panels of wood which made up his chest. They separated slowly, revealing even more vines and wood inside. From within Groot let the small golden spores build within him, thinking with joy at all that he had to be thankful for. His new family, the Milano, the adventures. Feelings of warmth and love. He could feel the World-Pod deep within him pulse like a heart. With the small notch in his chest now created, he watched as Rocket’s eyes rolled and he squeaked in fear. 

“I am Groot,” Groot hummed gently, and watched as his friend clamored towards him. His friend, the only one who understood him. The one who had still comforted him and talked to him like he was intelligent. The one who would give him extra water from between the bars of his cell. Rocket who came off as brash, rude and arrogant to everyone but who truly loved and felt deeply. Groot knew this, he felt privileged to know it but it also made him sad. Guided by instinct more than anything else, Rocket climbed up Groots leg, around his torso and found the glowing warm hovel Groot had created. The raccoon like creature collapsed once inside and Groot found himself fill with warmth. 

“I am Groot,” he whispered, humming until he felt his friend’s heartbeat slow once more. Groot smiled, watching his friend as he settled back to sleep. He wished he could do more, but as Rocket nuzzled comfortably his smile widened. Gently Groot reached up and pet his friend carefully, he leaned down. 

“We are Groot,” he whispered for the first time since the Dark Aster. Yes, there was pain, both of them had suffered horrible on Halfworld but they were safe now, more or less, they had friends and they had each other. Groot hummed gently like how he remembered the other Groots had done until he too, fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This work also inspired by this picture on Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/509047564121312072/
> 
> All credit to the artist


End file.
